The Mummy’s Tomb (1942)
Directed by Harold Young
I hate to admit but I find the original Karloff Mummy rather boring and slow. So when I found out all the other Mummy movies are around an hour long and involve a lumbering Mummy knocking people off one by one, I had to check them out. A year or so ago I covered the Mummy’s Hand the first sequel, so I continued on with this.
This time the Mummy Kharis comes back to life and is seeking vengeance on those who defiled the tomb of his belonged Princess Ananka. Basically it is a slasher movie, with a Mummy killer. He hunts people down, chokes them, whatever he has to do to take them out. Kharis is under the control of a man named Mehemet. Kharis is played by legend Lon Chaney Jr, there isn’t much in the way of acting involved, at least no lines since the Mummy is silent. The physical acting is pretty solid and Chaney excelled in that.
It cracks me up that these people can’t seem to flee Kharis, when he walks slowly and with a limp. He also has one arm tied down so he can only attack with the free hand. The cliche would later go on to show up in my favorite genre of the slasher film. Michael Myers famously never runs, he walks slowly taking his time and always catches his prey. Jason Voorhees has ran in the past, so let’s not forget that. Parts 2 and 3 he runs a fair amount. The special effects are impressive for the time and Kharis looks awesome. He’s crusty as hell and I have no idea how Chaney could even see let alone be physical. The scene where he scoops up the beautiful blonde girl Isobel is genuinely terrifying. Her role is more of just the damsel in distress and less about anything truly impactful.
This movie was fun and fast. You can really watch it in passing, not much is made for the plot honestly, and that is fine. It is a monster movie that you can pick up, watch quickly and blow an hour. I’ll likely be continuing the series next year so stay tuned. The Mummy’s Tomb I give a solid B. What it lacks in plot, it makes up for in entertainment.
